


Defection

by PrincessMekaBunny



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, F/F, I Wrote This To Help Deal With The Pain Of Season 2, I'm still suffering, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Scorpia is a Sweetheart, goodbye kiss, it didn't work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-26 23:04:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18726649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessMekaBunny/pseuds/PrincessMekaBunny
Summary: After her life being spared but losing her position of power, Catra deliberates her worth and confides to a concerned and supportive Scorpia.





	Defection

Catra sat alone on her usual balcony, one that overlooked the entire Fright Zone. The wind was strong and sent shivers down her spine but she didn’t take notice. She was too lost in thought to notice anything around her. The more she thought, the deeper she fell into the depression she was feeling.

“There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” a voice called out, causing Catra to snap out of her thoughts. She didn’t need to look to know who exactly who it was. She knew that there would be only person in the whole zone that actually cared to look for her; Scorpia.

She began to scrunch up her body defensively and rested her forehead on her knees. She grumbled, “Go away.”

“Aww, I know what you need!” Before Catra could protest, Scorpia wrapped her claws around Catra’s body and picked her up. She clutched Catra close to her chest and began swinging her around. “Come on, let me hug all the sadness away!”

Catra struggled for a moment, trying to break free of the force captain’s grasp, but she quickly realized how futile it was and just begrudgingly waited until Scorpia finished.

As she was swinging her around, Scorpia’s eyes caught a sight that felt off to her. She paused momentarily and asked her friend, “Hey, what happened to your badge?”

It took a moment for Catra to respond but when she did, she mumbled something into Scorpia’s claw. The force commander lowered her guard for a moment when she asked, “What was that?”

Using the opportunity that was presented before her, Catra jumped out from Scorpia’s grasp and distance herself from her just before she answered. “I said they took it away!”

Catra’s ears drooped and she became sullen once again. “Lord Hordak took away my badge. I’m not second in command, I’m not a force captain, I’m not anything…”

“You’re still my best friend.” Scorpia replied warmly, smiling at Catra. Catra took a moment and looked at Scorpia, but then looked away, feeling ashamed.

Scorpia’s expression began to drop, feeling sympathy for her friend. She could see how upset she was over the situation and she wanted to try and make her feel better about it. “Maybe if you ask nicely, Lord Hordak will give it back to you?”

“Doubt it.” Catra turned away from Scorpia and looked back out over the Fright Zone. She reflected upon her last meeting with the leader of the horde, which caused her feelings to intensify. “He was about to get rid of me. I was moments away from death and he had no reluctance about my fate. If Entrapta didn’t bargain with him for my life, I wouldn’t be here right now…”

Scorpia didn’t know what to say. The thought of losing her friend was a thought that was too much for her to bear, especially when she wasn’t there to help protect her. She was thankful at least she made it out alive, but she could tell Catra didn’t leave unscathed. 

She tried to reach out to Catra, hoping to hug her once again and maybe let out her feelings and be the shoulder for Catra to let out hers, but she stopped when Catra took a slash at the railing and yelled.

“IT’S NOT FAIR!!! I HAVE DONE EVERYTHING FOR THE HORDE! I WAS THE ONE THAT GOT CLOSEST TO TAKING DOWN THE REBELLION! I’M THE ONE THAT KNOWS OUR ENEMIES BEST AND THIS IS THE THANKS I GET? AHHHHHHHH!”

Catra began slicing at the railing again, letting her actions vent her anger and frustration. Scorpia just stood idly by and watched, letting Catra do her thing. She knew her friend: Anything she could say or do at this point wouldn’t help her. She had to wait until Catra was ready to open up again before she could support her.

After a minute of continuous slashing, Catra finally stopped and began panting from exhaustion. “I did everything I could. I rose to the top; I proved my worth! But some dumb princess disobeys direct orders and now she’s suddenly Lord Hordak’s favourite? He was right, I am a failure. I’m worthless and pathetic and have no use!”

Tears began to stream down Catra’s face, causing Scorpia to become even more concerned. She had never seen Catra like this. To her, Catra seemed more vulnerable, and the most miserable she’s ever been.

Scorpia walked up to Catra and wiped away her tears with her claw. “Shhh, don’t cry Catra. You’re not a failure. Well, sure, okay, you may have lost Shadow Weaver. And the Horde did lose a few of the lands it conquered under your command. And-”

“Shut up.” Catra said as she slapped away Scorpia’s claw.

“Look, my point is, just because you had a couple of miiinor setbacks doesn’t mean you’re a failure. You worked your way up to second in command and I know you can do it again! You’re strong, you’re confident, you’re determined, you’re brave! You were a great leader and I’m sure you can do it again!”

Scorpia paused for a moment to provide an opportunity for Catra to respond, but all she did was remain silent. Catra looked down at the palms of her hand and thought about Scorpia’s words, but the more she tried to believe them, the more pathetic she felt for her failures.

“I’m leaving, Scorpia.” Catra finally said, breaking the silence.

“That’s good! Some time away to clear your head will be good!” Scorpia said enthusiastically. “When will you be back?”

“You don’t understand,” Catra replied, rolling her eyes and sighing. “I’m never coming back.”

“Wait, so you’re defecting from the Horde? But… when they find out they’ll come after you and kill you!”

Catra looked down upon the Fright Zone once more, burning the memory of her home into her mind one last time and tried to drown out the image of Hordak looming over when she was on death's door from her mind. “It’s just a matter of time. Lord Hordak thinks I’m a failure. He’ll find any excuse to get rid of me, or send me to Monster Island. I’m not just going to sit around and wait for that. If he’s going to look for an excuse then let this be it. At least I can go down fighting. Plus…”

Catra looked up to the sky and fixated her gaze upon a lone twinkling star. It shone brightly, more than the rest of the stars in the sky. Seeing this star gave her confidence for the words she was about to speak next. “I need to show them; I need to show them all my worth. Adora, Shadow Weaver, Lord Hordak. I will find a way where I can stand up to both the Horde and the Rebels and show them I’m a force to be reckoned with, all by myself. No one will ever look down on me again!”

Scorpia couldn’t believe her ears. Never in her life would she think Catra would leave the Horde… leave her as well. But the reasons, they made sense to her and she supported them too. But she was worried for her as well. The world was a big place after all, and she knew that as tough as Catra was, she couldn’t do it alone. Or maybe she didn’t want her to do it alone.

“I’m coming with you then.” Scorpia stated blankly, catching Catra by surprise. She could see the determination in the force commander’s eyes, it was no joke or something she was taking lightly, she was serious about it.

However, beneath the seriousness was also fear. Scorpia knew that if she let Catra go by herself, the two could end up crossing paths. She wouldn’t have the heart to take her down or cause her harm. Even just the thought of it was too much to bear. She wasn’t sure how Catra could do it with Adora, but that just went to show just how strong she was. But to her, it was better to be on the same side as her best friend than on the opposite.

“No,” Catra said as she shook her head. “You still have a place here with the Horde. I don’t want you to squander it.”

“My place is with you.” Scorpia replied sincerely. She took Catra’s hands and looked deep into her eyes. “You’re my best friend, Catra, and I… well… I support you. We can take on the Horde and Rebels together! I can watch your back! I promise not to get in your way too! Just… you don’t have to do this alone. In fact, I won’t let you do this alone! I’m coming with you, and I’m not taking no for an answer!”

Catra had to admit, she was touched by Scorpia’s loyalty and determination. She was appreciative to know that she had her support, but unfortunately, this was something she had to do alone.

“I knew you’d say that.” Catra said as she let out a sigh. She quickly slipped one of her hands out of Scorpia’s grasp and grabbed something she had tucked away behind her back. Before Scorpia could react, Catra jabbed her with a stun baton that she took from the armory earlier which sent thousands of jolt coursing through her body. Within seconds, Scorpia fell to the ground and lost consciousness.

Catra took a look at the baton and smirked. “I should take another one with me, just in case.”

Catra was about to leap off and leave the Fright Zone while she the chance to escape. However, she turned to have one last look at Scorpia and found herself unable to move. She was taking pity on Scorpia. In a way, she reminded her of herself. Her best friend was about to leave forever and all she wanted to do was to go with her, which reminded her of how she felt with Adora. She insisted on going, with more determination she’d ever seen the force captain express, but in the end, her determination only brought her pain and a treatment she didn’t deserve which was also how she felt just moments prior.

She let out a sigh and began dragging her friend’s body so that her back was facing the wall. She wanted to drag her back to the living quarters, but she knew she didn’t have the time to do so. As well, she would most likely be questioned on the way there so this would have to do for now. It wasn’t exactly the most beautiful sight but at least she would be comfortable until she came to.

Finally, Catra leaned in and placed her lips against Scorpia’s forehead gently. She knew Scorpia wouldn’t remember it, but she felt a bit better about leaving her, knowing that she was able to give her something she always wanted before she left.

She rose up, took one last look at her best friend, and smiled. “Goodbye Scorpia. Don’t make the same mistakes I did.”


End file.
